Driving Innovation by Knowing Your Customer’s Job to be Done

Jobs to be Done is a transformational theory about consumer choice that has been shaped over the past two decades by various individuals. In 2016, several books brought it into the mainstream, the most prominent of which was Competing Against Luck by Dr. Clayton Christensen, the father of Disruptive Innovation theory. Since then, there has been much debate about different approaches to applying the theory, which can be confusing for some trying to bring it into their organizations. Jay Gerhart will offer a primer on “JTBD”, the different approaches, and how Atrium Health has used the theory in its product innovation efforts. If you are a newcomer to Jobs to be Done, or a practitioner, this presentation will help you make progress understanding your customers’ “Why” – and make innovation more predictable.

Jay Gerhart is Vice President of Consumer Strategy at Atrium Health. As part of the Innovation Engine, he employs methods such Design Thinking, Jobs to Be Done and Business Model Innovation in product and service development. During his 21 years with Atrium Health, he has led many of the system’s most significant corporate strategy, planning and development initiatives, including Levine Children’s Hospital and Levine Cancer Institute. Prior to joining Carolinas HealthCare System, Jay was a Manager with Ernst & Young’s health care consulting practice. Jay has a B.A. in Economics from Duke University and an M.B.A in Finance from Wake Forest University.

Jay learned how to apply Jobs to be Done theory in 2016 from Bob Moesta, President & CEO of The ReWired Group. Bob is a long-time colleague of Dr. Christensen, serving as a key architect of the theory. Jay and Bob co-presented their work together in 2017 at the Oliver Wyman Health Innovation Summit. Jay has also written several pieces on Jobs to be Done theory on Medium.

If you’re near one of our offices, check out our schedule of upcoming talks to see one in person.